gategroup, the world’s largest airline catering company serving nearly 700 million passengers annually, announced a seafood sourcing policy requiring the majority of farmed seafood supplied to its North American, European, and Asia Pacific operations to meet recognized certification standards by 2030.
The policy, released as part of the company’s 2025 ESG report, targets certification schemes that comprehensively address animal welfare alongside environmental and social considerations, including the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, RSPCA Assured, Naturland, Global Animal Partnership, European Organic, and Friend of the Sea.
Operating from centers in over 60 countries, gategroup serves as the largest commercial food purchaser in the global aviation industry. North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific markets account for over 80% of the company’s business, positioning sourcing decisions to influence aquaculture production practices globally.
Comprehensive welfare standards for aquatic animals
The policy covers all farmed fish and crustacean species, plus seafood products and ingredients where farmed fish and seafood constitute more than 80% of content across the company’s three primary regional markets.
“Within our supply chain, we aim to address environmental, social, and strong animal welfare considerations by meeting certification standards such as: ASC, RSPCA, Naturland, Global Animal Partnership, European Organic, and FOS,” gategroup stated in the policy. “By 2030, we aim to ensure that the majority of farmed fish and seafood supplied to our units in these regions meets one of these recognized certification standards.”
The certification standards referenced in the policy establish requirements addressing key animal welfare challenges in aquaculture operations. These include strict limitations on disease and mortality rates, rigorous water quality monitoring, stocking density limits to reduce crowding stress, restrictions on the use of fish meal and fish oil in feed, and mandatory humane stunning before slaughter.
Water quality monitoring requirements ensure dissolved oxygen levels, temperature, pH, and ammonia concentrations remain within species-appropriate ranges, directly affecting fish health and stress levels. Stocking density limits prevent overcrowding conditions that compromise fish welfare, increase disease transmission, and reduce water quality.
Mortality rate limitations require producers to maintain low death rates, indicating healthy populations and appropriate husbandry practices. Requirements for humane stunning before slaughter aim to render fish insensible to pain before killing, addressing welfare concerns at the final stage of production.
Industry benchmark for aviation catering
Astrid Duque, Sustainability Program Director at the Lever Foundation, a US-based nonprofit that collaborated with gategroup to develop the policy, characterized the commitment as setting a meaningful benchmark for the aviation catering sector.
“As a leading food purchaser in the global aviation sector, gategroup’s sourcing decisions shape practices on aquaculture farms worldwide,” Duque said. “This policy, with its explicit commitment to sourcing the majority of farmed seafood to meet certification standards that include robust animal welfare requirements, sets a meaningful benchmark for the industry.”
Animal welfare in aquaculture has received increasing attention as farmed seafood production has expanded globally. Fish and crustaceans raised in aquaculture systems experience a myriad of welfare challenges, including inappropriate stocking densities, poor water quality, disease, and slaughter methods that may not render animals insensible to pain.
Unlike terrestrial livestock production, where welfare standards and certification schemes have become more established, aquaculture welfare certification remains less widespread despite farmed seafood representing a growing portion of global seafood consumption.
“It also demonstrates that companies operating at a global scale can — and should — take meaningful action to improve the welfare of aquatic animals in their supply chains, just as they have already done for animals like pigs, chickens, and cows,” Duque added.
Certification schemes referenced in gategroup’s policy provide third-party verification that production meets defined standards across environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and animal welfare dimensions. This multi-criteria approach addresses concerns that aquaculture operations may create environmental impacts through water pollution, habitat degradation, and reliance on wild-caught fish for feed while simultaneously raising animal welfare questions.
gategroup’s policy follows similar commitments from food service companies establishing animal welfare requirements for terrestrial livestock, extending corporate responsibility frameworks to encompass aquatic species in farmed seafood supply chains.
